Industrial scales and load cells are used in a wide variety of industrial applications. Industrial scales and load cells range in size from large units for weighing pallets of products, work station scales for weighing individual product or products in a single package, to portable scales used for quality control purposes. Typically, industrial scales and load cells utilize a remote controller, comprising control electronics disposed in a housing. An electrical signal is transmitted from the scale or load cell to the controller. Among other features, the controller includes a display to display the weight of an item being weighed and one or more touch-sensitive input keys to allow the user to select between functionalities of the scale or load cell.
In hostile environments, such as meat packing plants or manufacturing and chemical processing plants, controller electronics and a display were typically disposed in a sealed stainless steel housing. Stainless steel, however, is prone to water condensation on the inside of the unit which can harm controller electronics. Additionally, if controller electronics are powered by a battery, it is necessary to be able to open the housing and access the battery. Further, electrical connections between the scale unit and the scale controller require openings in the scale controller housing to permit electrical connection between the controller and the scale unit. Thus, insuring a moisture-proof and durable seal for stainless steel scale controller housings remained a problem. One prior art approach to dealing with these problems was to encase a stainless steel controller housing in a second stainless steel or plastic housing. However, this double housing approach increased both the cost of the controller and the space required by the controller housing. Further, since it is necessary to be able to reset the scale reading, it was necessary to mount a reset switch on the outer housing, which in turn was connected to a reset switch mounted on the inner housing, thereby increasing complexity and decreasing reliability. Additionally, the display would have to be read through two lenses, a first lens for the inner housing and a second lens for the second housing.
What is needed is a housing for a scale or load cell controller that provides a moisture-proof and durable seal to protect controller electronics and provides for easy access to the battery powering controller electronics. What is also needed is a scale or load cell controller housing that is user-friendly and ergonomically correct by providing an easy to read display, large, easy to use input keys and a mounting that facilitates easy cleaning and permits the housing to be pivoted to a position where the display is conveniently read by the user.